


libraries can be lonely places (particularly if they’re only open for ten minutes at a time)

by subtlesraf



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Awkwardness, Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon Queer Character, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Past Relationship(s), Unrequited Crush, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 18:38:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14243376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlesraf/pseuds/subtlesraf
Summary: miss tench is always hanging around the libraryit’s kind of funny how her classes never seem to fall on the ten minutes per day the library is open...





	libraries can be lonely places (particularly if they’re only open for ten minutes at a time)

**Author's Note:**

> miss tench is a butch lesbian and olivia is as queer as they come. 
> 
> she just isn’t romantically interested in the gym teacher at prufrock, and awkwardness ensues, with very little angst and no hard feelings! 
> 
> read on without worry, readers

“You want to grab a cider later?” Miss Tench, the Head of Physical Education leaned against the open library door looking over Olivia and admiring the librarian’s assets as the bespectacled woman bent down to place a book on a low shelf.

“Cider?” Olivia echoed in confusion, straightening the row, and looked over her shoulder, not missing where the gym teacher’s eyes has been directed, and smiled weakly at the intensity of her gaze.

“Turns out the cafeteria staff ordered apple cider instead of juice. The _fortified_ stuff,” Miss Tench wiggled her eyebrows, clearly looking forward to sampling it, “So it’s for faculty only.”

“It’s really surprising how often they muck up their orders,” Olivia sat back on her heels thoughtfully, remarking, “I haven’t been able to stomach the idea of stepping foot in there ever since they served that delivery of escargot they ordered instead of instant mashed potato.”

“Yeah, that was a major stuff-up,” Miss Tench guffawed, “If those kids ran in gym the way they ran to the bathrooms after one mouthful of that swill, I would be happy as a pig in-”

“Are you here to check out a book?” Olivia straightened up, tugging her skirt down surreptitiously, as it had ridden up a little, “Or to return one?” she cocked her head, smiling endearingly, “I don’t seem to recall if you’ve ever borrowed a book in all the time I’ve been here.”

Miss Tench looked away and coughed nervously, “Yeah, well, uh… I don’t really come here for the literature if you get my meaning, Miss Caliban.”

“I’m…” Olivia smoothed down the front of her blouse, feeling jittery, “...not sure that I do, Miss Tench.”

“Oh, come on now,” the gym teacher’s cheeks were ruddy with embarrassment, and she shifted her posture self-consciously, not looking at Olivia as she admitted, “You gotta know I’ve been sore on ya since we met.”

Olivia certainly hadn’t missed her lingering glances and appeals on her behalf to Vice Principal Nero to keep the library open for longer than a mere thirty seconds per weekday.

Although ‘appeal’ was an understatement. Miss Tench had stationed herself not outside, but _within_ Nero’s office and made a deliberate nuisance of herself for days on end (when she didn’t have classes) and Olivia had been honestly touched by her concern, and very impressed by her persistence. 

Nero wasn’t easily swayed, but he had nothing on Ramona Tench, who possessed an imposing demeanour at the best of times, and eventually lost patience and trod on Nero’s violin case, crushing it to splinters in what she insisted was a hapless accident, and what _he_ insisted was an attack on a beaten-down musical genius.

The library’s opening ‘hours’ soon changed after said incident, but Nero staunchly refused to extend them any further out of a “lack of funding”, which apparently had something to do with the exorbitant cost of his replacement violin case.

Still, ten minutes was better than nothing. Even if every one of those minutes consisted of an always-empty library, and the silence filled with corny jokes and increasingly directed compliments from Miss Tench, who seemed to believe Olivia couldn’t take a hint, when rather than ignoring her coworker’s attempts to woo her, she was instead nursing a broken heart.

“I-” Olivia never did like playing dumb when trying to let someone down easily, but although Miss Tench’s advances towards her weren’t overly welcome, Olivia didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She was a good coworker, and although they had very little in common, Ramona always backed her up and Olivia liked her very much.

“I’m…” Olivia hated the clichéd expression, but was at a loss of what else to say, “I’m flattered, really…”

Miss Tench’s lips tightened momentarily and she broke eye contact, clearly preparing herself for disappointment, and Olivia felt more terrible than she did before she started. Unwillingly and forcefully remembering her last relationship, Olivia told her truthfully, “I’m sorry.”

Olivia took half a step, and sank onto one of the reading desks, “I just- my last girlfriend left me, and abandoned her dissertation to become a boxer, and I just- am pretty fragile-”

Unexpectedly, she found herself dissolving into tears, right when it was almost closing time, and to top it off, Nero would be arriving soon to shout at her for not having the door locked, and he would love to see her crying, as he still hadn’t reduced her to tears yet, shout and rant as he did.

“Oh, dang it, honey, I’m sorry,” Miss Tench came over from where she’d been standing by the door and rubbed Olivia’s upper arm briefly in an attempt to comfort her, and with the red velvet sleeve of her tracksuit, dabbed at the librarian’s damp cheeks, which were pink from crying.

“I’d tell you to blow yer nose, but this is my only jacket that ain’t got snot on it.” she nudged Olivia’s shoulder good-naturedly, making her giggle despite her tears.

“I’ll be fine,” Olivia let out a sniffle before taking a deep breath and sighing.

“I could switch the horse-hair in Nero’s violin bow for piano wire if ya like,” Miss Tench winked and Olivia let out a shriek of laughter, putting her hand over her mouth to stifle it.

“You are fixing to get yourself in trouble, ma’am,” Olivia joked, and Ramona shrugged and grinned in a what-can-you-do kind of manner.

“Is there any other way to be?”

Olivia nodded firmly, and resolved then and there to not let this awkward instance diminish their friendship, “I’ll see you around?”

“See ya around.”

Ramona backed away, placing her feet one behind the other rhythmically as she did, in a jaunty step that made Olivia giggle and call out just as Miss Tench turned and exited the library, “Come visit.”

**Author's Note:**

> please comment, I haven’t written in months due to many issues and am re-exploring my love of writing 
> 
> it would mean the world if you tell me what you think
> 
> i’m on tumblr at [olviacaliban](https://oliviacaliban.tumblr.com)


End file.
